SC2Mapster

The cutscene editor is old hat: it was released ages ago, and everyone's heard of it. Case closed, right?

Well, maybe not. Mapper CybrosX figured that outside of a few bigger projects, it seems underused. Especially a number of custom campaign creators have not seem to find ways to make their cinematics as kick-ass as they can possibly be, and that seems like a shame. As such, it's high time for another look at what the tool can do. Cybros made us a beautiful brief in-game cinematic to remind us all of the power of the Cutscene Editor.

Is your interest piqued? Discuss the editor in our Cinematic board here.

LifeForce Campaign by Bilxor

Oh boy. Resident mapper Bilxor has been working on something in relative secrecy for quite a while, and his project is about to hit the figurative streets. The LifeForce campaign aptly follows the story of the LifeForce Mercenary Corporation in an 8 map arc, complete with it's own in-game cinematics, unique portions of gameplay, and personally upgradable units. The campaign is set to go live today, so stay tuned in, as in a couple of hours, you will be able to give it a go. Find the map on the website in the link above.

Still not convinced? Check out the mission teaser Bilxor has released. And be on the look-out for a playthrough by Jayborino that will also be with us soon.

Shadow of the Xel'Naga by OutsiderXE

Are you one of those people who can't get enough of some good co-op action? OutsiderXE's got you covered. This excellent mapper has recently updated his Shadow of the Xel'Naga campaign, a 7-map story for you and a buddy to play through. If - like me - you don't have any StarCraft-playing friends, you can also play through the campaign by yourself. Find the game on the arcade under 'sotx', or visit the project's page on Mapster through the link above. Still not sure? Here's a video by our resident reviewer JayBorino to tide you over.

Bi-Weekly Testing Thread #2

Hello again Starcraft II mappers and players alike!

After the great success of last week's Bi-Weekly Testing Thread, providing mapper Trieva with a lot of feedback on his Blitz Fire map, we've once again put up a new thread. This time the target of our scrutiny will be 'Last Remnant', which is the sixth campaign map to the 'Hammer of Dawn' campaign by mapster EDHRIANO.

Have you been looking for some sweet single player action and do you want to speak your mind about what you're seeing? Then head on over to the thread above, and get to work!

Bi-Weekly Testing Thread

Today we've uploaded the first of Mapsters new "Bi-Weekly Testing Thread"s, with the map in question being Trieva's Blitz Fire. What does this mean? Simple: for the next two weeks, we're calling on all Mapsters to play and test this particular map on the arcade, and leave their detailed feedback in the thread. After two weeks, we'll pick a different project and put that up for testing and feedback.

So look up the map, hit the link above, and leave your comments in the thread!

JayBorinoPlays StarCraft & Blizzard Channel

Most of you already know JayBorino as not only a LetsPlayer, but also as a constant participant on our forums. He's recently been collaborating with some of the mod team to set up some new initiatives for you Mapsters as well. His newly made trailer depicts what his channel is all about, and fans of custom made StarCraft II maps should definitely check it out!

All Doodads Project by Scbroodsc2

Long-time Mapster user Sc2broodsc2 (or, more easily known as 'Fenix') has recently updated his 'all doodads project' to include all the cool new stuff we got in LotV. What does this mean, you ask? Simple: Fenix has gone through every single doodad currently available in the editor and screenshotted them. As such, we now have a comprehensive list of doodads that can be searched by picture. Say you're trying to create a Protoss base for your map and you've got an empty spot you need to fill up: you can scroll through the All Doodads project until you find one you like and immediately find the doodads' name, allowing the project to serve as a simple 'legend' of sorts when creating a terrain for your map.

Also included in the project as tilesets and cliffs, for those looking for more conceptual ideas. Happy terraining!

Doodad Picture Project by Scbroodsc2

In an on-going effort to make mapping in StarCraft 2 easier for all of us, a terraining asset has reared its head amidst all of the trigger and data libraries that are usually posted. User Scbroodsc2, otherwise known as 'Fenix', has started and finished a project in which he has taken screenshots of every single WoL and HotS doodad currently in the editor. What is the point of this, you may ask? Well, it's sort of a mental support tool for the active terrainer: busy making a terrain and forgot what that one doodad was called? Simply scroll through the pictures to find it and you'll have the name. Need some doodad inspiration to figure out what looks good in your map? The Doodad Picture Project has you covered.

The project page is linked above, and the discussion thread for the project can be found here.

Weekly Terraining Exercise #107 - Contest Winners

The first of our many HOTS Beta Key contests has just ended. The assigment of the WTE contest was to create terrain-based assets that others can use in their maps, and boy did we receive some good submissions. Take a look and see if you can use any. Three HOTS beta keys will be handed out there. If you want your own shot at winning a key, check out our Weekly Data Exercise Contest or our Monthy Triggering Exercise Contest where those who know their way around either coding or the data editor can turn in submissions.

Congratulations to the winners of the WTE contest, stay tuned for more!

Weekly Terraining Exercise #107 - Assets (HOTS beta keys inside!)

Hey folks! Do you remember those HOTS beta keys Sixen talked about 12 hours before this post? Well, the first of our many upcoming contests is out. Over the coming weeks we'll be throwing down multiple contests with beta keys as a reward, and the first one has now been posted in the form of Weekly Terraining Exercise #107. Since all these contests will be in the light of providing the community with assets and usable content, such is also the theme of this WTE - whether you provide us with custom tilesets, a basic map lay-out or a copy-pastable piece of background eyecandy, anything goes. Top submissions receive beta keys.

This contest ends in one week from now, on monday the 10th.

Show us what you've got, and happy terraining folks!

The 100th WTE!

The Weekly Terraining Exercise is just what the name makes it out to be: a weekly exercise for mappers to hone their terraining skills here on Sc2Mapster. Today it has reached a milestone: the #100 WTE was uploaded, which means they've been going on for over two years today. And did we see worthwhile terrains!

Feel free to take a peek in the thread (link's in the title) and maybe join in - the WTE is accessible to anybody. If you prefer to watch, enjoy this beautiful teaser video our user Scbroodsc2 has created in honor of the WTE.

StarCrap Episode 1 by Demonik420

StarCrap is a machinima series from Demonik420 done completely with sc2 editor. The story revolves around several main characters from all 3 races. The first episode is about the the protoss and terran fleet in a race to retrieve an artifact. Every character has his own unique voice actor. The story might be cheesy and voice might be unclear at times but the series's cinematic and terrain work is just amazingly impressive. Check out the trailer for this series that parody SC2's official trailer and the 15 minute long first episode below. Episode 2: Betrayal will be coming soon.